Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Afghanistan, you would:
Health
live 28.9 years longer
In Afghanistan, the average life expectancy is 54 years (52 years for men, 55 years for women) as of 2022. In New Zealand, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022.
be 5.6 times more likely to be obese
In Afghanistan, 5.5% of adults are obese as of 2016. In New Zealand, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 30.1 times more money
Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $1,500 as of 2021, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $45,200 as of 2022.
be 76.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Afghanistan, 14.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In New Zealand, that number is 3.3% as of 2022.
pay a 65.0% higher top tax rate
Afghanistan has a top tax rate of 20.0% as of 2016. In New Zealand, the top tax rate is 33.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 98.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Afghanistan, approximately 620.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2020.
be 96.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Afghanistan, approximately 104.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In New Zealand, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2022.
have 63.2% fewer children
In Afghanistan, there are approximately 34.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 5.3 times more likely to have internet access
In Afghanistan, approximately 18.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In New Zealand, about 96.0% do as of 2021.
be 30.7% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Afghanistan, approximately 76% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2020. In New Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 35.5% less on healthcare
Afghanistan spends 15.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In New Zealand, that number is 10.0% of GDP as of 2020.
spend 2.1 times more on education
Afghanistan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. New Zealand spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Afghanistan Revenue Department, New Zealand Inland Revenue Department.
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.